PCB, players on confrontation path

A severe discord is brewing between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the players who are unhappy at not having their NOCs extended for league appearances through this month.

A well-informed source in the PCB said on Sunday that some players were upset over the inconsistent policies of the board while granting NOCs to players to play in foreign leagues.

The players who are presently engaged in the ILT20 and the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL 2024) had requested the PCB to extend their NOCs so that they could complete their assignments before returning home for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) which begins on February 17.

But the PCB made it clear to the players that their NOCs would not be extended and they had to return as per the original schedule.

“The problem is that there are different conditions and return dates given to the players which has caused the problems.

“While the majority of players have to return by February 7, there are some players who can return on 11th and some even on 16th and this is causing frustration among the players,” the source said.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Muhammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, Shadab Khan Aamer Jamal Azam Khan, Imad Wasim, Muhammad Amir, Muhammad Hasnain, Ahmed Shehzad and Shoaib Malik are some of the Pakistani players busy in the two leagues.

Some of those players had asked the PCB for extension in their respective leagues as the PSL would not begin before February 17, but the home board was not relenting and asked them to return for pre-PSL activities with their respective teams.

The PCB has instructed both its centrally contracted players and those without contracts to return home.